Burning Heart
by Doggett.Rules
Summary: I own nothing Criminal Minds. When Emily Prentiss is trapped inside a house that is on fire, what will Aaron Hotchner do? What will Hotch risk to save his friend? What will he be willing to do?


It was just another day for Aaron Hotchner and Emily Prentiss but this day was not a good day for Emily. So far she had argued with Hotch after saying something to him that had struck a nerve and now she was trapped inside a burning house. She didn't know where Hotch was as she staggered around avoiding the flames that were dancing around her. She was upstairs in the house and she wondered if Hotch had gotten out, or if he knew that she was trapped.

The thick black smoke surrounded Emily, as she staggered cautiously towards what she thought was the door of the room she was in, coughing loudly. She felt it getting hotter as the sweat on her brow dripped down her face. She knew she stood no chance of getting out uninjured, but getting out alive was all that mattered.

She slowly walked through the door and out to the top of the stairs, coughing heavily as the smoke filled her aching lungs and she saw the fire was down the stairs making it so she couldn't get out. There was no way she could get out, apart from running through the fire and she wasn't going to do that. She was hoping that Hotch was alright as she didn't want anything happening to him.

Emily took a step back from the stairs, covering her mouth and nose with her jacket sleeve. She looked around quickly looking for a window where she could possibly get out of, then she saw one just yards away from her and she staggered towards it, through the smoke.

* * *

Hotch had ran out of the house as soon as he had saw it was on fire and then he remembered Emily was still in there. His gut was in knots as he watched the flames closely, while thick black smoke came out of the open windows.

Hotch was looking around for any sign of Emily and then he realised that Emily might not be able to get out. His heart stopped and he looked up at the burning house to see one of the closed windows with a hand on it. Emily could see the expression on Hotch's face as she looked at him and Hotch felt all the blood drain from his face.

"Emily!" Hotch yelled.

With no second thoughts Hotch made a run for the open door of the house as he knew that his best friend and the woman he loved, needed him now more than ever. Emily was near the window trying to get it open, but it was jammed shut and she was coughing violently, as she was getting dizzy. She knew there was an open window in the room near her but she didn't know where she was as a blanket of thick smoke surrounded her.

She was leaning against the wall as her knees were getting weaker, and she wanted to give in. As she closed her eyes slowly, her hand slipped off the window and she almost fell to the ground. She was about to give in but then she heard someone shout her name, that sounded very much like Hotch. Her eyes shot open, as she knew that she had to get out, not just for her but for Hotch. Emily looked around as she saw the flames getting closer to her, she pushed herself off the wall and began to stumble through the flames towards the room, covering her face and hoping to find an open window.

She was stumbling and staggering now and her vision was filled with little dots that were dancing around. She tried to blink them away, but her vision was turning grey, getting narrower, like a long tunnel. Emily could feel her knees buckling and she put a hand on the wall closest to her, trying to remain standing. A loud ringing noise in her ears, covered the sound of crackling and burning wood, and she wondered if this was the end for her.

She tried to breathe in, and all she inhaled was the thick black smoke. She was still coughing and as she felt herself falling as her legs gave way. She met the ground with a dull thud and the last thing she heard was Hotch screaming her name over and over before the blackness took over her. Emily drifted off in to a peaceful sleep as memories of her life went through her head.

"Emily! Where are you?!" Hotch coughed.

Hotch was running through the burning house, with his jacket sleeve covering his mouth and nose, as he made his way up the set of burning stairs. He ran right through the flames on the stairs, not caring about himself getting hurt, all that mattered was getting Emily out alive. Tears were stinging his red eyes as worry had his heart in a vice and he fought back the tears that tried to escape.

Hotch couldn't lose the woman he loved, not like this, not this way, not ever. Hotch was coughing slightly and praying to the god that he didn't believe in that Emily would be standing there by that window when he got there. Hotch pushed some burning wood to the side as he coughed harshly, then he ran in to the room where Emily had been just moments ago only to find she wasn't there. Then as Hotch frantically turned around to leave the room, he saw Emily lying face down on the floor just a few yards away from him.

"Emily!" Hotch shouted and coughed.

Hotch dashed over to the woman's unmoving form and he turned her on to her back, only to see that her eyes were closed. Hotch knew he had to get her out, so he lifted Emily up the best that he could and using his leg muscles he stood up, with Emily over his shoulder. Hotch held his friend the best that he could with one arm and he ran out of the room, back down the flame covered stairs and back out of the house in to the fresh clean air.

Hotch ran away from the house quickly and then he set Emily down carefully on the ground, as he dropped to his knees beside her. Emily's eyes were closed, her face was covered in black dust, she was covered in wounds and she was covered in debris. Her clothes were burnt and she looked dead as her head lolled to the side lifelessly.

"Emily!" Hotch said.

Hotch put his hands on Emily's shoulders as he shook her trying to bring her around but she didn't move. Hotch was fearing the worst, then acting on instinct Hotch held his ear above Emily's mouth and nose, checking to see if she was breathing. After a few seconds he didn't feel or hear anything and he felt a vice clamp around his breaking heart. Hotch moved back from leaning down and put two fingers under Emily's jaw on her neck looking for a pulse. He felt a faint beat under his finger tips and he sighed relieved. Hotch knew that Emily wasn't breathing and he settled himself by Emily's head.

"Come on Emily," Hotch muttered.

He didn't hesistate as he leant over Emily's face, tilted her head back, opening her airway, held back her forehead and pinched her nose closed with his thumb and forefinger. Hotch took a deep breath and then parted Emily's lips, before sealing her lips with his own. Hotch exhaled a breath in to Emily's lungs providing her with the oxygen she needed and Emily's cheeks puffed out.

"Don't you dare die on me Emily!" Hotch urged.

Hotch leant down once more, pinched Emily's nose, then blew another breath in to her unmoving body. The events finally sunk in as Hotch wiped a hand over his own face as he noted to himself that the woman he loved was lying there and Hotch felt like his heart was being torn apart.

"Please breathe Emily, I know you can hear me," Hotch told her.

Hotch was so lost in thought as he blew another breath in to Emily's unresponsive form, then he heard a gasp of breath, and he moved his head back, as Emily came back to the land of the living. Hotch moved back from her slightly, sighing in relief as Emily coughed as the clean air hurt her lungs. Hotch watched her as she finally opened her eyes, then she looked around and slowly sat up with Hotch's help. Then before Emily could say anything, Hotch's lips were on hers in a passionate kiss, which she responded to as she put her hands in his hair.

**Thanks for reading guys. I hope you enjoyed this, if you didn't I apologise. I haven't wrote a Criminal Minds fic in a long time and I hope the characters aren't to OOC. Anyway please review as I love knowing what you think and it is much appreciated :)**


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